PHASMA WVU (IMAGE) West Virginia University Caption PHASMA, housed within West Virginia University's Department of Physics and Astronomy, is a complex, one-of-its-kind-in-the-world experiment composed of vacuum pumps, electromagnets and lab-created plasma that is revealing new details about how the Universe functions. Credit WVU Photo Usage Restrictions None License Original content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.